Andover Girls Cross Country earned a hard fought victory against Choate this past Saturday, continuing its early season dominance. With a terrific first place performance by Kate Bulger ’11, Andover squeezed through to a 24- 31 victory despite harsh injuries and illnesses. “We ended up bringing a very small team due to various reasons, but those that raced were really able to step it up,” said Lydia Azaret ’12. Both Captain Caitlin Kingston ’11 and Mimi Tanski ’11 did not race at Choate due to sickness and injury, while Katie Ellinger ’12 had a tough race due to a nagging injury. Putting the situation behind her, Bulger focused on her race and proved her speed and stamina once again, leading the race from start to finish. Andover’s top four runners all finished under 22:00, an accomplishment that exemplifies Andover’s depth and strength. Claire Harmange ’11 followed close behind the top four in 22:09. Although times were slower than normal due to a extremely hilly and slow Choate course, Andover placed finished strong, taking nine out of the top fifteen spots. Despite the difficulty of Choate’s course, Andover was able to use it to its advantage “Hills play to our team’s advantage because we practice on them so often,” said Kelsey Jamieson ’11. Being the first dual race of the season, this race provided tough competition at all levels. “The competition makes each individual and the team stronger,” said Coach Nancy Lang. It was also a great opportunity to assess individual and team strengths and weakness. Building on what they learned this past weekend, the squad will aim to step up training and preparation for races. “Our goal is to focus on our own training and improvement; results will follow,” said Coach Lang. After its victory at Choate, Andover traveled to St. Paul’s last Wednesday to race in its second dual race this week. With Bulger out due to a foot injury, St. Paul’s top two runners took off and led throughout the race. However, Andover’s depth shone through again and Andover took the next eight spots with Kingston leading the way, securing an assuring win to keep its undefeated season alive. “Beating St. Paul’s was especially satisfying this year because we had a tough loss to them last year. Even though Kate [Bulger] couldn’t race, we finished really strong,” said Tanski. With two races in five days, Andover will take this weekend off to recuperate and prepare for the final four-week drive to the New England Championships. Its next race will be against Northfield Mount Herman the following weekend.
